The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is seeking proposals for the Greater MN Waste Reduction, Reuse, Recycling and Composting Grants State Fiscal Year 2026. The goal of this grant program is to support projects that focus on best practices for waste reduction, reuse, recycling, or composting collection systems in Greater Minnesota. Eligible applicants include political subdivisions or federally recognized tribes in Minnesota outside the Twin Cities seven-county Metropolitan Area. The proposed project must include one or more of the State of Minnesota waste hierarchy elements, such as waste reduction, reuse, recycling, composting of source-separated compostable materials or yard waste, or demonstration that the project will reduce waste generation through waste reduction and/or reuse or that the project will increase the amount of recyclable materials or source-separated compostable materials diverted from a disposal facility. Some key aspects of the grant program include: • A minimum grant award of $50,000 and a maximum grant award of $250,000 per project. • A local direct and indirect cash-match or in-kind match of at least 25% of the grant award is required. • The grant period will be from February 2026 to June 30, 2029. • Applications must be submitted electronically through the SWIFT Supplier Portal by October 7, 2025. Some examples of eligible projects include: • Implementing or expanding local capacity to establish or expand projects reducing waste. • Establishing or expanding projects reusing materials in their original form. • Implementation or expansion of a regional, county, or citywide collection program. • Improving collection of traditional recyclables. • Transitioning to single-sort recycling collection. • Establishing or expanding organics collection through curbside, commercial, or drop-sites. • Developing or expanding systems and programs to reduce, reuse, or recycle materials. • Establishing or expanding processing or transfer capacity for source-separated recyclable and organic materials. • Examples of ineligible projects include: • Projects seeking funding for general operating expenses. • Projects seeking funding to replace existing equipment or containers without also demonstrating increased access to recycling and/or organics collection. • Projects for environmental compliance remediation. • Projects limited to individual benefit, a non-innovative local benefit, or that do not have a broad community impact. • Projects that do not meet the eligibility specifications identified in this RFP. • Key factors that will be considered in the evaluation of applications include: • Meets an environmental need with project impact/outcomes that focus on increasing waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and/or organics collection and processing in Minnesota. • Project description and information, including project purpose, expected results, and implementation steps. • Environmental justice, including whether the project serves an area of concern for environmental justice and includes specific tasks for working with environmental justice communities. • Community outreach and education, including the intended audience, specific messages, and strategies for delivering the message.